A Touring Exhibition with a Vision

The European touring exhibition 'Ending Homelessness' is a campaign to raise awareness in a strikingly different way. By exhibiting life-size sculptures of homeless men and women, the Casa Ioana Association wants to make the lives and living conditions of homeless people visible.

The thirteen bronze sculptures, commissioned by the Danish NGO Projekt UDENFOR and created by the Danish artist Mr. Jens Galschiøt, reflect the uniqueness of each homeless person and gives an insight into that individual’s life. The statues portray men and women, young and old, and include people with mental health problems and others with alcohol or drug abuse.

The sculptures arrived in Bucharest on Monday 14 March 2011 and will be exhibited throughout March 2011. The Casa Ioana Association is grateful to the following organisations for their support, particularly in accepting to each host some of the exhibition’s sculptures. Members of the public can see the sculptures in four locations throughout Bucharest:

• The British Council - 14, Calea Dorobantilor, Sector 1

• The National Theatre - 2, Bd. Nicolae Balcescu, Sector 1

• Unirii Metro station 2

• Local Authority for Sector 2, 11-13, Str. Chiristigiilor (in the park in front of the building)

The 'Ending Homelessness' Campaign

Homelessness is a challenge faced by all the European member states, but that challenge can and should be met through national governments investing time and resources in developing long-lasting solutions to homelessness and providing real, personalised alternatives.

The Touring Exhibition with a Vision is part of The Casa Ioana Association’s campaign to end homelessness in Romania. This ambitious campaign is in support of a European-wide campaign organised by FEANTSA (the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless) who have published a handbook aimed at policy makers and others seeking to tackle homelessness in Europe. It sets out the need for ambitious strategies which aim to end homelessness and details the priorities and essential components that such strategies should contain.

FEANTSA launched its 'Ending Homelessness' campaign on the 14 April 2010 at the European Parliament, Brussels with a hearing called 'Ending homelessness is possible! How can the EU effectively contribute to the fight against homelessness?' This event was co-organised by FEANTSA, Liz Lynne MEP, Britta Thomsen MEP, Karima Delli MEP, Ilda Figueiredo MEP and Jacek Protasiewicz MEP.

This European Parliament event also launched the European touring exhibition ‘Ending Homelessness’. Since then the sculptures have been exhibited in eight Danish cities and in Lisbon, Portugal. The sculptures will next be exhibited next in Dublin, Ireland.

Through raising awareness of the causes and effects of homelessness, and offering the Romanian government ambitious strategies aimed at ending homelessness, the Casa Ioana Association aims to persuade law makers to make ending homelessness a major concern. The priorities and essential components of these strategies are clearly discussed together with examples of successful approaches to tackle homelessness throughout Europe. However, any strategies to end homelessness must include the following five goals:

1. No one sleeping rough

2. No one living in emergency accommodation for longer than is an ‘emergency’

3. No one living in transitional accommodation longer than is required for successful move-on

4. No one leaving an institution without housing options

5. No young people becoming homeless as a result of the transition to independent living

Homelessness in Europe

Many thousands of men and, increasingly women and children are currently homeless throughout the European Union. Sleeping rough on the streets, or staying long-term in shelters or hostels, their fundamental human rights are being violated.

Many factors can lead to homelessness. These factors are not only individual or relationship-related experiences such as divorce, bereavement, mental illness, domestic violence or substance abuse. Structural factors such as poor access to affordable housing, unemployment, precarious employment and discrimination play their part too. As do institutional factors such as poorly co-ordinated services and inadequately structured benefit systems. Without a concerted effort by policy makers to tackle these points, too many individuals and families will find themselves on the streets or spending months or years in temporary accommodation.

Ending homelessness does not mean criminalising homeless people, or making judgements about their situation. It means investing time and resources in long-lasting solutions to homelessness and providing real, personalised alternatives. It’s time to move on from investing in short-term measures, which after several decades have merely ‘managed’ the problem of homelessness but not stamped it out.